Game



DeC. 31, 1935. D, KROFF 2,026,048

GAME

Filed Deo;` 25, 1935 3 Sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 31,A 1935.

GAME

Filed Dec'. 23, 1933 3 sheets-Sheet 2 SAFE SLIDE 7U 0FF SECOND (7l/7' 0N Bl/N T ONE TALL Y BI//I/A/EA7 70 3D FOUL /7'0/15 RUN Dec. 31, 1935. L. D, KRO'FF 2,026,048

GAME

t Filed Dec. 25, 195s S'sheets-sheet 5 STR/KE STF/KE Pl//V/VE? SCU/955 Bm: our, FOL/L BALL EU/enzow lozza/BdjC/off Patented Dec. 31, 1935 UNITED STATES 9 Claims.

This invention relates to games, and more particularly to games like base ball, foot ball, basket ball, cricket, and things of that kind, which are played on a field.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement whereby a rotary disk is combined with a covering therefor having openings therein, in such a manner that the whirling of 10 the disk and the stopping thereof, with certain indications thereon opposite said openings, is capable of reproducing practically all of the plays or conditions of any game of this kind, Vwhereby every possible play, or every possible condition of such a game, may be simulated on the field pictured on the cover outlying the ro- ANtary disk.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction and combinations tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of a game device of this particular character.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan View of a base ball game embodying the principles of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of one of the players, that is to say, one of the pieces that are moved .around on the field of the game.

. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section on line 3-3 in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4 4 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, with certain portions of the device shown broken away for convenience of illustration.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the rotary disk whereon the indicating means are shown in the form of printed statements arranged in Yradial columns.

Figl 6 is a perspective of the actuator that forms a part of the mechanism for operating the device.

As thus illustrated, the invention comprises a rectangular box body I, provided with a rectangular top cover 2, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings, said covering fitting down over the rectangular box body. The box body is formed in a manner to provide a rectangular chamber 3, andalso a smaller chamber 4, as shown. Y

The little players or movable pieces 5, of any desired shape, are stored in the chamber 4,

when they are notin use.`

In the chamber 3,' is the rotary disk 6, immediately below the top of the cover. This 5.5 disk isvprovided with a ratchet wheel vl, and a springcontrolled actuator 8 is pivoted at 9 and provided with means for engaging the teeth of said ratchetY wheel in the manner shown more clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The actuator 8 is held in its normal position by the coil 5 spring I0, and a cord or other means H is provided for moving the actuator 8 into the position shown in dotted lines, thereby to give the disk 6 a good whirl.

On the cover,'there are rectangular open- 10 ings I2, I3, I4, I5, I6, I1, I8 and i9, grouped togetherY and arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Printed on the top of the cover, immediately forward of said openings,

is a base ball diamond 20 having the conven- 15 tional shape and features of the ordinary base ball diamond, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. On the top of the disk 6, as shown inv Fig. 4, there areradial columns o-f printed statements,

`each statement being thatA of some`ordinary 20 play or condition possible in a game of this kind, as clearly shown in the drawings.

With the instrumentalities thus shown and. described, an imaginary game v'o f base ball lmay `be played in an obvious manner by successive ,25

whirls of the disk 6, and by observing what plays or conditions are exposed by the openings I2 to I9, inclusive, previously mentioned. The little players or pieces 5 represent the batters, of any particular vinning of the game, of 3Q course, and are used by the persons playing the game to simulate' the base ball players on the diamond, in a manner that is obvious to those familiar with base ball.

While the invention is shown in its adaptation 35 for the playing of base ball, it is obvious that by slight changes, the invention can also be used for other games, such as those previously mentioned, or practically any game that is played on a eld, such as those where there are teams "o or players or groups of players that are opposed to each other.

Itgwill be seen that the actuatorr is formed of sheet metal, with two upfturned side flanges 2I and 22 at its engaging end, the flange 2l being slightly curved at its end, whereby when these two flanges engage the toothed wheel I, in the manner shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the said wheel is locked! against rotation'inV either 50 direction, inasmuch as the curved end of the flange 2|A prevents the wheel 'I from turning backward, while the flange 22 prevents the wheel from rotating forward. But, of course, when the flexible cord II is pulled, and the actuator is thrown into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the wheel l is released from engagement with the actuator, and the disk 6 is caused to spin freely until it stops of its own accord, or until it is stopped by the return of the actuator 8 to normal position. And, of course, it will be understood that the toothed wheel l' may be a wheel-like element with teeth of any suitable or desired character, and that the actuator 8may likewise be of any suitable or desired character, Without departing from tha spirit of the invention.

It will be seen that as the actuator member 8 swings clear of the Wheel l, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the disk 6 is spun or rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, and that when the spring l0 is permitted to swing the actuator 8 back into normal position, it then turns the wheel 1 slightly in the opposite direction, in a clockwise direction, as a sort of back lash before the motion of the-disk is stopped. In this way, it is impossible for a player to pick out or determine a stopping point for the disk, and hence the point at which the disk will stop is purely a matter of chance and guesswork. Also, it will be seen that the indications on the disk are necessarily readable transversely of each radial column, whereby these indications, representing diierent plays, are in effect practically readable in the direction of the concentric circles on which they rotate, inasmuch as each indication reads from left to right, and the travel of each indication on its allotted circle is from left to right when the disk is spun or rotated freely out of control for whatever length of `time the player may desire.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Ina game, a rotary disk having indications thereon, and mechanism for rotating said disk out of control, so that it may stop by chance only, said mechanism comprising a toothed wheel rigid with the disk, and a pivoted actuator prO.- vided with parallel flanges spaced apart for engaging the teeth of said wheel, means for operating the actuator, thereby to rotate the disk freely, and a spring for returning the actuator to normal position, serving by the re-engagement of the actuator with the wheel to give the disk some rotation in the opposite direction before stopping to indicate the resulting play.

' 2. A structure as specified in claim 1, the forward rotation of the disk being in an anticlockwise direction. Y

3. A structure as specified in claim 1, said wheel having a plurality of the teeth thereof disposed between said flanges when the latter are in normal position.

4. As an article of manufacture, a game device for simulating the playing of a game on a field, a hollow body having a base and top wall spaced apart a distance vertically, a rotary disk mounted to rotate freely about a vertical axis in a plane between said base and top wall, close to the latter, indications in fixed position on said disk, arranged in radial spaced columns, each indication being readable crosswise of its allotted column, so that the indications'in each column are parallel with each other, and are in eiTect readable practically parallel with the concentric circles on which they rotate, -a plurality of different indications xed on the upper surface of said top wall, representing different possible positions of the Vplayers on the field; the

top Wall being apertured for exposing the indications on the disk, and a manual mechanism for rotating the disk out of control, whereby the disk will stop by chance only, said indications on the disk representing different plays of 5 the game, and said apertured top wall co-operating with all of said indications for determining the resulting play when the disk comes to rest, said mechanism comprising a toothed wheel rigid with the axis of said disk, and a pivoted lo actuator having parallel flanges spaced apart to engage the teeth of said wheel, so that a plurality o1" teeth will be between said flanges when the mechanism is in normal or inactive posi- Vtion, means for operating the actuator, to ro- 15 tate thedisk in an anti-clockwise direction, and a spring for returning the actuator to normal position.

5. As an article of manufacture, a game device for simulating the playing of a game on a field, 20 a hollow body having a base and top wall spaced apart a distance vertically, a rotary disk mounted to rotate .freely about a vertical axis in a plane between said base and top wall, close to the latter, indications in fixed position on said disk, ar- 25 ranged in radial spaced columns, each indication being readable crosswise of its allotted column, so that the indications in each column are parallel with each other, and are in effect readable practically parallel with the concentric circles 3U on which they rotate, a plurality of different indications xed on the upper surface of said top wall, representing different possiblel positions of the players on theeld, the top wall being apertured for exposing the indications on the disk, 35 and a manual mechanism for rotating the disk out of control, whereby the disk will stop by chance only, said indications on the disk` representing different plays of the game, and said apertured top wall co-operating with all of said 40 indications for determining the resulting play when the disk comes to rest, said mechanism comprising a toothed Wheel rigid with the axis of said disk, and a pivoted actuator having parallel flanges spaced apart to engage the teeth 45 of said wheel, so that a plurality of teeth will be between said' flanges when the mechanism is in normal or inactive position, means for operating the actuator, to rotate the disk in an anticlockwise direction, and a spring for returning 50 the actuator to normal position, the return movement of the actuator causing some clockwise motion of the disk before it stops to indicate the resulting play.

6.l As an article of manufacture, a game de- 55 vice for simulating the playing of a game on a field with a ball, a hollow body having a base and top wall spaced apart a distance vertically,

a rotary disk mounted to rotate freely about a vertical axis in a plane between said base and 60 top wall, closeto the latter, indications in xed position on said disk, arranged in radial spaced "columns, representing every possible play with the ball, each indication being readable crosswise of its allotted column, so that the indica- 65 'tions in each column are parallel with each other, a plurality of different indications fixed vand La manualmechanism for rotating the disk out of control, adapted whenv released-to check 75 erating with all of said indications for determining the resulting play when the disk comes to rest.

7. A structure as specified in claim 6, said indications on the top Wall being those necessary for simulating the playing of baseball, comprising the expression Batter up, Man on 1st, Man on 2nd,"Man on 1st and 2nd, Man on lst and 3rd, Man on 2nd and 3rd, and Bases full; and the indications on the disk comprising Words representing practically every possible play made by a batter in the game of base ball.

8. A structure as specied in claim 6, said mechanism comprising a toothed wheel rigid with the axis of said disk, and a pivoted actuator having parallel anges spaced apart to engage the teeth of said wheel, so that a plurality of teeth will be between said flanges when the mechanism is in normal or inactive position, means for operating the actuator, to rotate the disk inV an anti-clockwise direction, and a spring for returning the actuator to normal position.

9. A structure as specied in claim '6, said mechanism comprising a toothed wheel rigid with the axis of said disk, and a pivoted actuator having parallel anges spaced apart to engage the teeth of said Wheel, so that a plurality of teeth will be between said flanges when theV mechanism is in normal or inactive position, means for operating the actuator, to rotate the disk in an anti-clockwise direction, and a spring for returning the actuator to normal position, the return movement of the actuator causing some clockwise motion of the disk before it stops to indicate the resulting play.

' LEONARD D. KROFF. 

